Foreign Minister, ambassador discuss French presidency priorities from Bulgarian angle

Over the next six months special attention will be paid to culture as a basic part of the European heritage

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin outlined on June 25 2008 the Bulgarian take on the priorities the French presidency of the European Union - the energy and climate package, migration, defence and agriculture - at a work meeting hosted by French ambassador to Bulgaria Etienne de Poncins in his residence in Sofia, the press service of the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.  

'We will attach specific importance to reaching a common stand on EU's open issues,' Kalfin said. He voiced his confidence that the issues of nuclear energy will be discussed more and more in the EU, striking a good balance between energy demands and environmental concerns.

As far as agriculture is concerned, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister voiced Bulgaria's stance on preserving the existing forms of support, including direct payments.

Regarding migration, Kalfin stressed on the importance of Bulgaria as an EU external border state. Bulgaria shares Frances views migration was a common problem of the EU, Kalfin said.

In terms of the sustenance of the EU's defence capacity, Kalfin said this needed to happen without excessive competition and in dialogue with the trans - Atlantic connection under Nato.

Bulgaria will aim to maximally help the French presidency of the European Union, Kalfin said.

De Poncins stressed on the fact that the June 12 Irish rejection of the Lisbon reform Treaty did not decrease the energy with which France will work for the prosperity of the EU. Over the next six months special attention will be paid to culture as a basic part of the European heritage, the ambassador said, thanking Bulgaria for taking part in the first European cultural season launched under the French presidency.

De Poncins underlined that the forthcoming July 4 visit of Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev to France will be the first meeting of French president Nicolas Sarkozy with a head of government in his two capacities - as president and of head of state of EU's presiding country.

Kalfin, for his part, stressed the important time in which the French presidency would start and said he was glad that namely a state such as France, a founder and keeper of the basic values of the EU, would take the wheel in a period of challenges, among which the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

Source: Sofia Echo

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